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Planning policy and guidance

The council’s planning guidance consists of a series of documents that provide a positive approach to managing development by helping to assess planning applications and create a more vibrant, sustainable community to improve quality of life for all.

The Development Plan for Tower Hamlets is comprised of the London Plan (produced by the Mayor of London), Local Plan and Neighbourhood Plans (currently, none are adopted – but the Isle of Dogs Neighbourhood Plan holds significant weight while a referendum on the plan is postponed).

The Development Plan is also influenced by the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which sets out strategic policies for development and growth within England.

The policies we use to decide planning applications

  • Local Plan – guides and manages development in the borough.

  • Neighbourhood planning – enables the community to guide development in their local area through neighbourhood forums and neighbourhood plan documents.

  • Monitoring and programme reporting – provides further detail on the performance of council policies, deliverable housing sites and a project plan for emerging documents, through an annual monitoring report, Five Year Supply of Deliverable Housing Sites and Local Development Scheme (LDS).

Upcoming projects

New Local Plan (Regulation 19 consultation)

The plan-making team has moved to the next stage in adopting a new Local Plan. It will guide development in the borough until 2038.

We have published the draft Local Plan and are inviting comments as per Regulation 19 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) Regulations 2012. This is the final draft we plan to submit to the Secretary of State for review.

You are invited to submit your representations over a six week period (13 September to 28 October 2024). For further details of the consultation and how to get involved please visit our Let’s Talk page.

For more information on the council's compliance with the legal, procedural and soundness aspects of this stage of plan-making, see the emerging local plan page.

London Legacy Development Corporation

The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) came into being on 1 April 2012. It is the local planning authority for the Olympic Park and surrounding neighbourhoods including Bromley-by-Bow and Fish Island. 

Further information

You can email the team at localplan@towerhamlets.gov.uk or talk to us by phoning 020 7364 5000. 

If you would like to be kept informed about local planning policy updates, please email us to join our mailing list.